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Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Risk/Return [Heading] rr_RiskReturnHeading Emerging Markets External Debt Portfolio
Objective [Heading] rr_ObjectiveHeading Objective
Objective, Primary [Text Block] rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Emerging Markets External Debt Portfolio seeks high total return.

Expense [Heading] rr_ExpenseHeading Fees and Expenses
Expense Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. For shareholders of Class P and Class H shares, you may qualify for sales charge discounts if the cumulative net asset value ("NAV") of Class P or Class H shares of the Portfolio purchased in a single transaction, together with the NAV of all Class P or Class H shares of portfolios of Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund, Inc. (the "Fund") or portfolios of Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund Trust held in related accounts, amounts to $25,000 or more with respect to Class P and $50,000 or more with respect to Class H. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial adviser and in the "Shareholder Information—How To Purchase Class P and Class H Shares" section on page 22 of this Prospectus.

Shareholder Fees Caption [Text] rr_ShareholderFeesCaption Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
Operating Expenses Caption [Text] rr_OperatingExpensesCaption Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Portfolio Turnover [Heading] rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading Portfolio Turnover
Portfolio Turnover [Text Block] rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The Portfolio pays transaction costs when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Portfolio shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect Portfolio performance. During the period of May 24, 2012 (commencement of operations) through December 31, 2012, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 29% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate 29.00%
Expenses Restated to Reflect Current [Text] rr_ExpensesRestatedToReflectCurrent The Board of Directors approved an amendment to the Distribution and Shareholder Services Plan reducing the distribution and shareholder services (12b-1) fee for the Portfolio's Class L shares from 0.75% to 0.50% of the average daily net assets of such Class, effective February 25, 2013. The Distribution and/or Shareholder Service (12b-1) Fee shown in the table above has been restated to reflect such change.
Expense Example [Heading] rr_ExpenseExampleHeading Example
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

The example below is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.


The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio, your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Strategy [Heading] rr_StrategyHeading Principal Investment Strategies
Strategy Narrative [Text Block] rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the Portfolio's assets will be invested in U.S. dollar-denominated debt securities of issuers located in emerging market countries. This policy may be changed without shareholder approval; however, you would be notified in writing of any changes.


The Adviser seeks high total return by investing primarily in fixed income securities of government and government-related issuers and corporate issuers in emerging market countries. The securities in which the Portfolio may invest will primarily be denominated in U.S. dollars. The Portfolio may invest, to a lesser extent, in securities denominated in currencies other than U.S. dollars.


The Adviser implements a top down assessment of the global economic environment and the sensitivity of emerging economies in general to worldwide events. In selecting the Portfolio's investments, the Adviser analyzes the ability of an emerging market country's government to formulate and implement fiscal and economic policies; socio-political factors, including political risks, election calendars, human development and social stability; and exchange rate and interest rate valuation.


The Portfolio's holdings may range in maturity from overnight to 30 years or more and will not be subject to any minimum credit rating standard. The Adviser generally considers selling a portfolio holding when it determines that the holding no longer satisfies its investment criteria.


The Portfolio may invest in fixed income securities that are rated below "investment grade" or are not rated, but are of equivalent quality. These fixed income securities are often referred to as "high yield securities" or "junk bonds." High yield securities are fixed income securities rated below Baa by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's") or below BBB by Standard & Poor's Rating Group, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. ("S&P"), or if unrated considered by the Adviser to be an appropriate investment for the Portfolio.


The Portfolio may also invest in convertible securities. The Portfolio may also invest in restricted and illiquid securities.


The Portfolio may, but it is not required to, use derivative instruments for a variety of purposes, including hedging, risk management, portfolio management or to earn income. The Portfolio's use of derivatives may involve the purchase and sale of derivative instruments such as futures, options, swaps, structured investments and other related instruments and techniques. The Portfolio may utilize foreign currency forward exchange contracts, which are also derivatives, in connection with its investments in foreign securities. Derivative instruments used by the Portfolio will be counted toward the Portfolio's 80% policy discussed above to the extent they have economic characteristics similar to the securities included within that policy.

Risk [Heading] rr_RiskHeading Principal Risks
Risk Narrative [Text Block] rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

There is no assurance that the Portfolio will achieve its investment objective and you can lose money investing in this Portfolio. The principal risks of investing in the Portfolio include:


•  Fixed Income Securities. Fixed income securities are subject to the risk of the issuer's inability to meet principal and interest payments on its obligations (i.e., credit risk) and are subject to price volatility resulting from, among other things, interest rate sensitivity, market perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer and general market liquidity (i.e., market risk). The Portfolio is not limited as to the maturities of the securities in which it may invest. Securities with longer durations are likely to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates, generally making them more volatile than securities with shorter durations. Lower rated fixed income securities have greater volatility because there is less certainty that principal and interest payments will be made as scheduled. Investing in emerging markets intensifies this risk, because lower quality fixed income securities are more volatile in price. To the extent that the Portfolio invests in convertible securities, and the convertible security's investment value is greater than its conversion value, its price will be likely to increase when interest rates fall and decrease when interest rates rise. If the conversion value exceeds the investment value, the price of the convertible security will tend to fluctuate directly with the price of the underlying security.


•  High Yield Securities ("Junk Bonds"). The Portfolio's investments in high yield securities expose it to a substantial degree of credit risk. Investing in emerging markets intensifies risk, because high yield securities may be more volatile in price in certain environments. High yield securities may be issued by companies that are restructuring, are smaller and less creditworthy or are more highly indebted than other companies, and therefore they may have more difficulty making scheduled payments of principal and interest. High yield securities may experience reduced liquidity, and sudden and substantial decreases in price. An economic downturn affecting an issuer of high yield securities may result in an increased incidence of default. In the event of a default, the Portfolio may incur additional expenses to seek recovery.


•  Foreign and Emerging Market Securities. Investments in foreign markets entail special risks such as currency, political, economic and market risks. There also may be greater market volatility, less reliable financial information, higher transaction and custody costs, decreased market liquidity and less government and exchange regulation associated with investments in foreign markets. In addition, investments in certain foreign markets, which have historically been considered stable, may become more volatile and subject to increased risk due to ongoing developments and changing conditions in such markets. Moreover, the growing interconnectivity of global economies and financial markets has increased the probability that adverse developments and conditions in one country or region will affect the stability of economies and financial markets in other countries or regions. The risks of investing in emerging market countries are greater than risks associated with investments in foreign developed countries. In addition, the Portfolio's investments may be denominated in foreign currencies and therefore, to the extent unhedged, the value of the investment will fluctuate with the U.S. dollar exchange rates. To the extent hedged by use of foreign currency forward exchange contracts, the precise matching of foreign currency forward exchange contract amounts and the value of the securities involved will not generally be possible because the future value of such securities in foreign currencies will change as a consequence of market movements in the value of those securities between the date on which the contract is entered into and the date it matures. There is additional risk that such transactions reduce or preclude the opportunity for gain if the value of the currency should move in the direction opposite to the position taken and that foreign currency forward exchange contracts create exposure to currencies in which the Portfolio's securities are not denominated. The use of foreign currency forward exchange contracts involves the risk of loss from the insolvency or bankruptcy of the counterparty to the contract or the failure of the counterparty to make payments or otherwise comply with the terms of the contract.


•  Sovereign Debt Securities. Investing in sovereign debt securities will expose the Portfolio to the direct or indirect consequences of political, social or economic changes in the countries that issue the securities. The issuer or governmental authority that controls the repayment of sovereign debt may not be willing or able to repay the principal and/or pay interest when it becomes due, due to factors such as debt service burden, political constraints, cash flow problems and other national economic factors. In addition, foreign governments may default on their debt securities, which may require holders of such securities to participate in debt rescheduling or additional lending to defaulting governments. Moreover, there is no bankruptcy proceeding by which defaulted sovereign debt may be collected in whole or in part.


•  Leverage. The Portfolio may borrow money for investment purposes. Borrowing for investment purposes is a speculative activity that creates leverage. Leverage will magnify the effect of increases and decreases in prices of portfolio securities.


•  Liquidity. The Portfolio's investments in restricted and illiquid securities may entail greater risk than investments in publicly traded securities. These securities may be more difficult to sell, particularly in times of market turmoil. Illiquid securities may be more difficult to value. If the Portfolio is forced to sell an illiquid security to fund redemptions or for other cash needs, it may be forced to sell the security at a loss.


•  Derivatives. A derivative instrument often has risks similar to its underlying asset and may have additional risks, including imperfect correlation between the value of the derivative and the underlying asset, risks of default by the counterparty to certain transactions, magnification of losses incurred due to changes in the market value of the securities, instruments, indices or interest rates to which they relate and risks that the transactions may not be liquid. Certain derivative transactions may give rise to a form of leverage. Leverage magnifies the potential for gain and the risk of loss.


•  Non-Diversification. Because the Portfolio is non-diversified, it may be more susceptible to an adverse event affecting a portfolio investment than a diversified portfolio and a decline in the value of that instrument would cause the Portfolio's overall value to decline to a greater degree.


Shares of the Portfolio are not bank deposits and are not guaranteed or insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Risk Lose Money [Text] rr_RiskLoseMoney There is no assurance that the Portfolio will achieve its investment objective and you can lose money investing in this Portfolio.
Risk Nondiversified Status [Text] rr_RiskNondiversifiedStatus Because the Portfolio is non-diversified, it may be more susceptible to an adverse event affecting a portfolio investment than a diversified portfolio and a decline in the value of that instrument would cause the Portfolio's overall value to decline to a greater degree.
Risk Not Insured Depository Institution [Text] rr_RiskNotInsuredDepositoryInstitution Shares of the Portfolio are not bank deposits and are not guaranteed or insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading] rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading Performance Information
Performance Narrative [Text Block] rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

As of the date hereof, the Portfolio has not yet completed a full calendar year of investment operations. Upon the completion of a full calendar year of investment operations by the Portfolio, this section will include charts that show annual total returns, highest and lowest quarterly returns and average annual total returns (before and after taxes) compared to a benchmark index selected for the Portfolio. Performance information for the Portfolio will be available online at www.morganstanley.com/im.

Performance One Year or Less [Text] rr_PerformanceOneYearOrLess As of the date hereof, the Portfolio has not yet completed a full calendar year of investment operations.
Performance Availability Website Address [Text] rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress www.morganstanley.com/im
Class I
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of Amount Redeemed) rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption (2.00%)
Advisory Fee rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.75%
Distribution and/or Shareholder Service (12b-1) Fee rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Other Expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 1.27%
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 2.02% [1]
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets (1.17%) [1]
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.85% [1]
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 87
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 271
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 471
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 1,049
Class P
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice 4.25%
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of Amount Redeemed) rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption (2.00%)
Advisory Fee rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.75%
Distribution and/or Shareholder Service (12b-1) Fee rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.25%
Other Expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 1.27%
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 2.27% [1]
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets (1.17%) [1]
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 1.10% [1]
Expense Breakpoint Discounts [Text] rr_ExpenseBreakpointDiscounts For shareholders of Class P and Class H shares, you may qualify for sales charge discounts if the cumulative net asset value ("NAV") of Class P or Class H shares of the Portfolio purchased in a single transaction, together with the NAV of all Class P or Class H shares of portfolios of Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund, Inc. (the "Fund") or portfolios of Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund Trust held in related accounts, amounts to $25,000 or more with respect to Class P and $50,000 or more with respect to Class H.
Expense Breakpoint, Minimum Investment Required [Amount] rr_ExpenseBreakpointMinimumInvestmentRequiredAmount 25,000
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 532
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 760
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 1,005
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 1,708
Class H
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice 4.00%
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of Amount Redeemed) rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption (2.00%)
Advisory Fee rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.75%
Distribution and/or Shareholder Service (12b-1) Fee rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.25%
Other Expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 1.27%
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 2.27% [1]
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets (1.17%) [1]
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 1.10% [1]
Expense Breakpoint Discounts [Text] rr_ExpenseBreakpointDiscounts For shareholders of Class P and Class H shares, you may qualify for sales charge discounts if the cumulative net asset value ("NAV") of Class P or Class H shares of the Portfolio purchased in a single transaction, together with the NAV of all Class P or Class H shares of portfolios of Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund, Inc. (the "Fund") or portfolios of Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund Trust held in related accounts, amounts to $25,000 or more with respect to Class P and $50,000 or more with respect to Class H.
Expense Breakpoint, Minimum Investment Required [Amount] rr_ExpenseBreakpointMinimumInvestmentRequiredAmount 50,000
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 508
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 736
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 982
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 1,687
Class L
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of Amount Redeemed) rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption (2.00%)
Advisory Fee rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.75%
Distribution and/or Shareholder Service (12b-1) Fee rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.50% [2]
Other Expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 1.27%
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 2.52% [1]
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets (1.17%) [1]
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 1.35% [1]
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 137
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 428
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 739
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 1,624
[1] The Portfolio's "Adviser," Morgan Stanley Investment Management Inc., has agreed to reduce its advisory fee and/or reimburse the Portfolio so that Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses, excluding certain investment related expenses, taxes, interest and other extraordinary expenses (including litigation), will not exceed 0.85% for Class I, 1.10% for Class P, 1.10% for Class H and 1.35% for Class L. The fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements will continue for at least one year or until such time as the Fund's Board of Directors acts to discontinue all or a portion of such waivers and/or reimbursements when it deems such action is appropriate.
[2] The Board of Directors approved an amendment to the Distribution and Shareholder Services Plan reducing the distribution and shareholder services (12b-1) fee for the Portfolio's Class L shares from 0.75% to 0.50% of the average daily net assets of such Class, effective February 25, 2013. The Distribution and/or Shareholder Service (12b-1) Fee shown in the table above has been restated to reflect such change.